


Sing Me A Song

by NebulaStep



Series: Sanders Sides Pokemon!AU [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Comfort, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, Pokemon AU, Pokemon Related Violence, Pokemon!Roman, Sappy uses of Disney, Trainer!Thomas, What was light angst has become a bit darker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2020-07-11 10:35:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19926688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NebulaStep/pseuds/NebulaStep
Summary: Pokemon!AU. An Igglybuff is alone without someone to take care of him. Meanwhile, a trainer, now working for a professor, has been given his first mission to investigate strange happenings in the woods. They meet. This can only go well.What is happening? Why is this young Pokemon alone? Who is this young Pokemon? Would the trainer know if he had read the report he had been given?





	1. Tuneful Melancholy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He remembers being young. He remembers the struggles. The difficulties. But most of all, he remembers her.

He remembered being very young. Or at least, he remembers fragments. He remembers more of his kind. Some round. Oval. Big. Small. He remembers a lot of pink. He probably stood out, being white and all. He remembers them all around. How happy everyone seemed. He remembers it being warm.

He remembers most of all his mother making noises that soothed him to sleep. To him they were the most beautiful noises in the whole forest. At the time, he had no idea how his mother made such sounds. When he tried he could only produce vague discordant noises.

He has a vague memory of her appearance. A tall pink oval shape. Her unusual brown eyes shining with affection. Her presence…Her smile.

He had memories of suddenly being alone. Of cold nights in the forest. Of no one around.

He held onto that memory of his mothers noises like a lifeline on most nights. It wasn’t much, but it was all he had to calm himself.

He remembers meeting other Pokemon. Going up to them. Of being attacked. Singled out. He remembers being seen as prey. And not being able to hide. Because of what he looked like. It wasn’t usually too savage. There was something about him that kept them from getting too upset. But it still hurt.

He wasn’t intimidating or very big. So he learned to stand proud and fight. To move around constantly. To show how powerful he was. What choice did he have?

He remembers being hit and bouncing around for a long while, unable to stop. He learned how to dodge after that.

A confrontation with what he would later know as a Spearow caused him to realize that sticks could be used for hitting things. He practiced that skill a lot.

When he wasn’t doing that, he was tracing patterns into the ground with sticks. It calmed him.

He distinctly remembers being cornered by a tall pokemon with blades for hands. He was against a tree, without a stick and it was looming. Almost instinctively, the tune his mother sang (though he had no concept of a tune) fell out of his mouth. The Pokemon in front of him stopped moving and closed its eyes, slumping to the ground. He heard snoring. He stared in shock before running as fast as he could.

He stopped by a stream. He made more of the sounds. They were rocky at first, due to being out of practice (or rather, having no practice), but he quickly became accustomed to it until his voice started reaching clear pitches. As he voiced them louder and louder, he could almost see his mother, her brown eyes shining with pride. He started rocking, then dancing around. A smile appeared on his face. After a short while, his throat started to hurt. He instinctively ran to the stream and gargled the water. His throat felt a little better. He laid by the riverside smiling at the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I originally posted the first four chapters of this fic on tumblr (they are still there), but I decided to expand where I posted. I hope you guys enjoy what I wrote so far, and I hope to write more soon!


	2. F Sharp Expedition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His first expedition. And first contact.

His first assignment for the Professor. Its incredible! Its exciting! Its….stressful and he wished he was inside.

Thomas had been wandering around this forest for what felt like forever. The sun was beating down on his head as he carried around a backpack that seemed to grow heavier and more logged with sweat as time went on. The longer he was out here, the more he missed TV.

Yes he knew that on the job research can take time, and that Pokemon can be hard to find, and that he should be patient…. but… ahhhhh it was so boring.

Just a general survey of the area the Professor said. Just take note of any changes in the habitat. Yeah, like that was any direction. Just what was he suppose to look for?!?!

_Maybe I would know if I actually read the briefing my professor handed me. Wait… why haven’t I looked at that yet?_

He sighed as he took his backpack off and sat down, glad the weight was off his shoulders for a little while. Reaching onto his belt, he pulled out two poke balls and threw them forward. With a flash of light, a Rattata and a Growlithe appear.

“Pizza! Foster! I’m taking a break! Take some time to relax and stretch out your legs, okay?”

Pizza chattered her teeth before wandering up to the nearby trees and sniffing, probably for food. Foster woofed before bounding off between some trees.

“Foster! Don’t go too fa- oh forget it, she always comes back.”

Thomas reached into his backpack and took out the briefing he probably should have read before this point and flipped it open.

**The Burning Forest is a flourishing ecosystem that hosts a variety of types of Pokemon.**

_Woof!_

Thomas’s head snapped up to see Foster running towards him with a stick in her mouth with a pointed end. She sat down in front of Thomas wagging her tail excitedly. Thomas smiled before he took the stick from Foster and threw it while yelling for her to fetch it. She ran off as he looked down to read again.

**Its situation next to a sleeping volcano provides ample fertile soil for an assortment of plants to grow and environments for Pokemon to inhabit.**

_Not that I have found and luck finding anything other than Pidgeys to take notes on._

At this point Pizza had decided to curl up by Thomas’s side and fall asleep. Thomas smiled at her and stroked her head with one hand as he read.

**The Burning Forest is also host to a lake by the sleeping volcano. This lake feeds several stream systems that run through the forest, providing an ample source of clean, fresh water.**

_Guess that’s where I am getting more water if I should need it._

_Woof! Woof!_

Without looking, he held out his hand for Foster to drop the stick into. He then threw it again between the trees slightly harder. She bounded off again.

**There are several Pokemon that live in communities throughout the region. One of the most prominent is th-**

_WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!_

Thomas held out his hand but nothing fell into it. He looked forward to where the noises were coming from.

“Foster? Are you okay, girl?”

_Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!_

“I’m going to take that as a no,” he hurried onto his feet.

“Pizza! Get up! Something’s wrong!” He said as he ran forward. In response Pizza opened her bleary eyes and slowly got on her feet to follow.

Thomas ran through the trees towards where Foster was clearly growling and putting up a fuss.

“Foster! Whats wro-”

…..

If you are wondering, Foster was fine. She was, however, holding onto one end of the stick with a great amount of effort. The other end was being held onto and dragged away by the thing that made Thomas pause.

A white Igglybuff, reddish eyes steely with determination, pulling with all their might.

Thomas couldn’t help but stare at the scene before giggling.

Foster looked toward him, looking confused. The Igglybuff took the chance to pull on the stick, dragging Foster forward, before pounding Foster in the jaw, making her let go while also causing her to be knocked down

_Aroooooo! Whimper, whimper!_

“Foster!”

The Igglybuff inspected their stick before turning their gaze towards Thomas. Thomas shut his mouth as their gaze narrowed. The Igglybuff held up the pointed end of the stick towards Thomas, gave a short nod, and ran away, as Thomas stared off in shock.

Foster started to get up and make a run for the wayward Igglybuff when Thomas yelled at her sharply to stay close. It was then that Pizza wandered up, looking around with sleepy eyes.

Thomas sighed before bringing out the two poke balls again and opening them.

“Sorry guys. I need to straighten some things out.” He said as they disappeared inside their poke balls.

He went back to where he left his backpack and sat against the tree. He quickly pulled out his Poke-gear

and looked through his contacts.

**

“…Hello?.”

“Hello Professor. Its Thomas.”

“Why, hello Thomas! How are you? Is the forest treating you well?”

“Yes, yes it is… ummm, I saw something a little strange.”

“Ahhhh, find something interesting?”

“You can say that. I just saw an Igglybuff fight a sharpened stick away from Foster, point it towards me menacingly, and run off. Is that normal?”

“Hehehe, I don’t doubt that you came across an Igglybuff, Thomas. A significant population does live in that forest.. Foster probably just took a stick it particularly liked… though I have never heard of an Igglybuff or its evolutions holding a weapon…”

“I didn’t see any others though!”

“Really? Huh…. maybe they were lost…was there anything else notable about the one you saw?

“Well, they were white.”

“… Thomas… Why didn’t you say that _first_?”

“I don’t know!”

“You should _know_ that is a very particular Igglybuff… _Thomas_ , did you read the report all the way through?”

“Ummmmm… yes?”

“*Sigh* I’ll address that later. Thomas! Are you absolutely sure that this Igglybuff was alone?”

“I’m pretty sure!”

“You didn’t see a Wigglytuff anywhere? One didn’t help out? You don’t hear anything that sounds like his group interacting?”

“No! To all of it! And how do you know that Igglybuff is a boy?”

“You would know if you read the report! That’s not just any Igglybuff! Prince should be with Queen!”

“….who?”

“Oh for the love of….. HIS MOM! THE LEADER OF THE GROUP!…. Thomas, I need you to look into something.”


	3. Acapella Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was pissed off, to put it mildly. Nothing that some music cannot soothe.

He remembers that he was sitting by a stream a little while later tracing something random on the ground with his (now partially-chewed) stick. Though, unlike usual, his scrawls had a lot of weight in them, creating some ditches in the dirt. Not that he could see clearly what he was doing anyway, as the sun was setting.

_How dare that…_ _**thing** _ _take my stick! It is_ _**mine** _ _! No one_ _**elses’** _ _! The nerve of her to get her disgusting slobber on it! It took **way** to long to wash off!! I should have given that … that…. _ _**orange-furred cretin** _ _more then just a pound in the face…_

He paused his scrawling.

_that…. human… was it? I haven’t seen one… since………._

He closed his eyes. He remembered when he first saw them. He was scared. Everyone acted so calm though. She was so calm. Reassuring. The warmth that surrounded him, everyone surrounding him, was reassuring. The word _human_ though…. he doesn’t remember where he got it. Maybe from the humans themselves.

_That monster was with the human… Some beings choose to be with humans…. I know this….._

He rubbed his head with one hand.

Flashing lights. There were flashing lights every now and then. She was unphased. He was always startled by them. They could be dangerous after al-

He froze in place. He heard something quiet but clear. Where was it coming from? It was so… familiar. It was like the sound he heard and made so many times before. But… it was different..

He got up, stick in one hand, using his ears to follow the sound to its source.

As it got louder and louder he could hear it was of a lower register then he was used to hearing. As he got closer, a smell hit him… it was nice… but intense.

He eventually peaked through a bush to find another clearing.

It was that human again, with the cretin, and a buck-toothed purple creature. Both were sitting with him by a fire with some container above it emitting steam. The human was looking at something in his hands. Whatever it was, it looked delicate.

The sound was clearly coming from the human, though his mouth wasn’t open. He didn’t know that any other creature was capable of making such noises.

The tune was unfamiliar. Was this invented by the human? It was beautiful, whatever it was.

He continued to listen to this human, discerning that it was following a structured tune that would repeat patterns at certain intervals. He backed away from the bush, letting his eyes close. He felt the tune entering and relaxing him. He dropped his stick, and started to rock on his feet and spin around slowly. Without really thinking, his voice started picking up the tune, and he began to hum along.

To him, it sounded… warm… like he was with her again, getting ready to go to sleep. Or dancing under the lights at night. It was peaceful. Like nothing could break it.

“ _Yaaaawwwwnnnn_ ” *lip smacking*

His body immediately tensed as his eyes snapped open. His gaze met with the purple creature, whose head was poking through the bushes. She was lying on her stomach and resting her head on her paws. She looked at him with bleary, tired eyes. He jumped into an attack position and pointed at the creature.

“ _How did you find me, buck-toothed demon? You will rue the day for having crossed my path!_ ”

“ _Yaaawwwn” *more lip smacking_ *

_She will attack at any moment! My tool is lying a distance away! I need to get it or I will be defenseless! I need to form an attack plan! I need too-_

“ _You…. are Prince._ ” The creature said slowly, blinking her eyes.

_Prince…. the humans would sometimes say that before the lights flashed… it is what they called me_.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “ _How would **you** know that?_”

“ _Thomas has been mumbling to himself about ‘finding Prince’ …. yaaaaaaawwwwwwnn…..all day. Also,_ ” She slowly looked him over. “ _Foster was going on and on about a white Igglybuff who took her stick._ ” She shrugged.

He body puffed out as he pouted. “ _If you are referring to the depository of_ **_drool_ and _teeth_** , _she was the one who committed thievery! She took my stick from the spot I left it in,_ ” As he said this he pointed to the direction of the spot he left it in. “ _and she would not give it back to me until I took it by force!_ ” He showed the hand he pounded the cretin with and looked the creature in front of him dead in the eye, “ _I would not advise making the same mistake!_ ”

“ _Seems likely_ ”she said as she shrugged again. “ _Foster does…. yaaaaaawwwwnn… that a lot._ ” She scratched her ear with one paw “ _She can sweet though…. impulsive, but sweet._ ”

He looked at her blankly. _Why is she not responding? If she wants to fight, why isn’t she fighting? If she doesn’t, why doesn’t she run away? This doesn’t make any sense!_

She leisurely looked in the direction of the human.“ _Thomas loves singing_ ” She said matter-of-factly,

_Singing. Is that the word for it?…. yes… it is…_

“ _You…. yaaawwwn… you like singing, too._ ” She said.

It wasn’t really a question, but he nodded anyway.

“ _Your voice… is nice._ ”

He didn’t quite know how to respond to that. He just stared dumbfounded. The silence stretched between them.

“ _… Thomas has been saying something about a Queen. Is that about you too?_ **”** She asked suddenly.

_The humans called her Queen._

As soon as that thought entered my head, he puffed up and glared. “ _WHAT BUSINESS IS THAT OF YOURS?!?!?!?! HOW WOULD YOU KNOW ANYTH-_ ”

“Pizza? Is everything alright?”

The creatures ears perked up. She turned her head so that one ear was towards the human. As this happened, he ran towards his stick.

“What are you doing over there, girl? Dinner is almost ready.”

She got up and stretched. As she made her way to turn and leave, she looked at Prince once more. At this point he had gotten his stick and was pointing it towards her with a threatening expression. The creature only blinked slowly in response.

“Pizza? Come here!”

Her head turned a bit towards the voice, with her eyes still on him. She moved her eyes towards the human and back to him a few times.

He tilts his head. She more obviously tilts her head in the human’s direction and exits through the bushes.

He slowly lowered the stick. He felt his heart pick up. A chill went down his spine.

_They know her… I should be with her… and they know her…_

Before he knew it, he went through the bushes.

“Pizza! There you a-….”

The human (apparently called “Thomas”) stared at him, clearly shocked. Thomas had a tool of a different material in one hand and a smaller container in the other.

Prince approached, chest puffed out, stick held high. The orange cretin from before (apparently called “Foster”) lifted her head and looked before jumping on her feet and growling.

Before Prince could respond, the creature (apparently called “Pizza”), was in front of the cretin, chattering her teeth.

The cretin gave him a hard look before settling back down. Pizza resumed her place by the human, before looking at Prince and gesturing with her head towards the fire.

Still in an attack position, he approached slowly before settling down by the fire a few feet away from Thomas.

Thomas, who had been watching this exchange, placed down the open and steaming container by Pizza. Thomas moved back, taking out two more containers and started putting something in them that was steaming, putting one of them in front of the cretin, who immediately put her head into it. Thomas looked looked down at the container in hand before moving towards Prince, who immediately pointed his stick at the human. Thomas then moved slowly, placing the food as close he could without being too close to the stick.

Prince looked at the container suspiciously, putting down the stick and, picking it up with both arms Whatever was in it smelled good.

_Is this food? Why is this human giving me food? Is this some sort of trick?_

He tilted the container towards his mouth and licked the food quickly.

… _. if its a trick, it tastes good._

Prince looked up from his container at the human, who now held a container of his own and was eating it while looking at the sky, glancing at Prince every now and then.

Prince kept his eye on the human as he continued eating.

There was practically no noise as they ate, excluding the chewing, fire crackling and occasional yawns. This was eventually broken a little while after everyone had finished and had set aside their bowls. The human, looking at the sky, let out a sigh, before taking in a breathe.

##  _I know you_  
 _I walked with you  
_ _Once Upon a dream_

The tune from earlier… the human was humming this earlier. He immediately felt himself relax. He didn’t know the words though.

##  _I know you_  
That gleam in your eyes  
Is so familiar a gleam

He felt himself rocking back and forth. He remembers

## Yet I know it’s true  
That visions are seldom what they seem

At some point, he had started singing along with the tune without noticing. The human looked at him and smiled.

## But if I know you  
I know what you do  
You’ll love me at once  
The way you did once upon a dream

As they continued to repeat the song, their voices mixed and floated into the night sky, he had not heard yet. Prince felt the warmth seep in and relax him even more. He doesn’t remember when he fell asleep, but he remembers seeing her in his dreams.


	4. The Memo Unpaused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it says on the tin. The full memo, including more information about Prince and who he is, since Thomas has finished procrastinating on reading the damn thing.

**The Burning Forest is a flourishing ecosystem that hosts a variety of types of Pokemon.** **Its situation next to a sleeping volcano provides ample fertile soil for an assortment of plants to grow and environments for Pokemon to inhabit.** **The Burning Forest is also host to a lake by the sleeping volcano. This lake feeds several stream systems that run through the forest, providing an ample source of clean, fresh water.**

 **There are several Pokemon that live in communities throughout the region. One of the most prominent is** **the population of Igglybuffs and their evolutions. Many of the characteristics of this group are similar to other groups of Igglybuff evolution. They are composed of 300 members of the typical ratio of sex (75% female and 25% male). They have a leader whose role is passed down to the ruler’s child (unless the group disagrees). The leader of this particular group is specimen 102983, Codename Queen, a Wigglytuff. Under her leadership, their numbers have thrived and the group remains relatively peaceful, with minor exceptions that will be detailed later. As of the last report, she had two children, whom we have each given a number (29834, Codename Prince, and 29835, Codename Duke)**

**There are a few characteristics of this group that make it particularly of interest in research. On first glance, you can tell that this particular group have a considerable subset of Igglybuffs that, when they evolve into Jigglypuffs, developing eye colors that are not in line with the typical eye color of Jigglypuffs (blue), indicating the predominance of a recessive traits in this population. If other colors do pop up in most groups, the ratio is about 1/3 overall. One of these Pokemon that has odd colored eyes is Queen, whose eyes are brown.**

**Even more unusual, Prince’s body is entirely white. This has made him even more susceptible to attack by other populations and solo Pokemon. However, the rest of the group (especially his mother) protect him. No one seems to mind this, and they, in fact, dote on Prince (especially his mother).**

**The Duke has dark pink skin and fur on most of his body, outside of a white streak in the curl on his head, indicating that the twins may be fraternal, though a tissue sample would have to be taken in order to be sure.** **Duke also shows some aggression issues, often picking fights with other Igglybuffs. His favorite target is Prince, however when Prince is actually in trouble he has turned that aggression outward toward other threats.**

**While Igglybuff’s evolutions are not known to necessarily be weak, this particular group had found great success in fighting off potential predators and those who infringe of their territory. Part of this could be due to the other unusual trait of this population. There has been some report by some researchers of seeing these Pokemon possibly exhibiting moves that are out of type for them and should not normally be possible in the wild. The moves are repeated too much in order to be a product of Metronome. It seems that the Pokemon have access to “Hidden Power” somehow, without the assistance of a human trainer or professional. Queen, for instance, is somehow able to send a wake of frigid energy out in order to generate an attack. She is the the most liberal with her abilities, and seems to come across it the most naturally. It is yet unknown whether Prince or Duke have the same ability.**

**Strange activity has been noted from other researchers in the area. Pokemon have become more agitated and ready for attack, and we have been informed that some of the Iggleybuffs and their evolutions have been found scattered through the forest alone. They are often scared and clearly having been through a fight. Your job is to find out the status of this population and provide an update report on the conditions of everyone.**


	5. Allegro Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There has been progress made, but some characters have grown impatient with how slow gong it has been. Be careful what you wish for.

Thomas had made some progress. Now, what to do with that progress he had no idea.

He now had Prince following at something of a distance wherever he went throughout the forest. (He still seemed to have issues with Foster though, who he would glare at for the most part. He still needed to figure out how to remedy that.) At night the young Pokemon would join Thomas and his companions for food and singing, but would stay a good distance away regardless.

_I guess this is his territory. It would make sense that he would still be antsy. I still don't know why he is following me though._

Thomas looked back at Prince, who was currently watching from a nearby tree. He had been jumping from branch to branch, making a token attempt to blend into the leaves, but sticking out like a sore thumb, considering the white fur, and the big stick he was still carrying. Thomas smiled and waved. Princes eyes widened, and he turned his head away and closed his eyes, seemingly pouting, making Thomas chuckle.

_He's so... extra. I haven't been around a Pokemon like this since..._

Thomas looked down, frowned, turned around and started walking forward again.

“I shouldn't be thinking about things like that! I should be focusing on the positives!” Thomas muttered to himself. “I have a good job now under a good friend, and I am in a beautiful environment doing that job with Pokemon that are fun to be around...”

_It won't last. They will leave, too. They have to._

That particular thought made Thomas stop in his tracks. He shook his head harder, like he was trying to shake the thought out.

_Whimper_

Thomas looked to his left side at Foster, who was now seated looking at him with a worried expression. A paw on his right leg brought Thomas's attention to Pizza, whose head was cocked to the side.

Thomas offered a small smile and knelled on one knee and pet the two Pokemon in front of them. “I'm okay you guys! I'm just a little stressed is all!” Foster was smiling with her tongue out and leaning into the hand behind her ear, closing her eyes. Pizza leaned into the hand petting her too, but continued to look up, causing Thomas to speak up again, “ Really! I'm fine! I just need the rest of this mission to go we-”

That's when, of course, screeching and yelling erupted from the tree behind him.

__

It had become clear to Prince that Thomas had no idea where he was going.

Okay, maybe that was harsh, but that's what it felt like. He had been observing Thomas and his companions for the past several days, and they seemed no closer to finding his mother or the rest of his family. Thomas spend most of his time wandering the forest, looking at pieces of paper, and writing.

What he had learned was... well... more about the Pokemon and their human.

Pizza was a strange one. She was almost constantly tired, or at least acted like it. However, the Rattata always kept an eye on him. He thought at first that it was out of wanting to protect the human, but the rodent almost seemed relived whenever Prince came back into sight.

Prince also learned that the menace called Foster was... a little too friendly. She had taken to calling him “singing puffball” since the first night he spent with Thomas, which... he still didn't know how to process. She kept barking at him when he is in his various watching spots, insisting that he “ _Come down and play!_ ” or to “ _Look at this cool rock!_ ” He had, more then once, shooed her away with his weapon whenever she attempted this. He was unsure whether she was doing this because Pizza told her to, but regardless, he was still suspicious. There was no way that being wanted to make amends that easily.

And Thomas … Thomas knew a lot more songs then the one he sang that first night, and that Thomas was a really good singer who seemed to belt tunes at any opportunity that was given. He was also very giving and kind it seemed, since he kept giving out food.

He also seemed concerned with Prince's location, since he would occasionally turn in his direction, smile, and wave. It was the third time this happened that Prince couldn't help but feel a but put out. No matter what Prince did he couldn't blend in it seemed.

_You never were good at that. Its why you're family always had to protect you. Especially your mother._

He didn't spend too much time brooding (not that he would admit to brooding) because he heard Foster whimpering. Prince looked up to see Foster and Pizza next to Thomas looking at him.

_Did they see something scary?_ Prince strained to listen as Thomas knelt down and started petting the Pokemon near him.

“I'm okay you guys! I'm just a little stressed is all!”

Prince cocked his head. Thomas seemed okay, judging by this angle at least. No one had attacked him. Why was he upset?

However, as Prince continued to watch, he felt... something like familiarity bubble up. A strong presence comforting you... sounded... nice...

_This is not yours to have..._

Prince shook his head and frowned deeply. He had to get home. And nothing would stop him.

Not even the Fearow that was swooping in at that exact moment

Prince's reflexes kicked in as he thrust his weapon in the the bird Pokemon's direction, which the bird narrowly missed. It flew away, screeching before lowering from the sky, flapping its huge wings.

Prince narrowly avoided losing balance, giving a loud yelp before regaining balance, jumping to an outstretched branch near the Fearow, and settling his feet into a battle stance

_okay, I have limited ways of attacking here, and I am outmatched, but I might be able to take on this beast if I just-_

“FOSTER! USE FLAMETHROWER!”

A geyser of flame shot from the right and below, causing the Fearow to fall from the sky. Before Prince could formulate a thought in response to what just happened, he heard Thomas shout again

“PIZZA! USE QUICK ATTACK!”

Prince looked over the side of the tree branch just in time for him to see a purple blur make contact with the Fearow that just hit the ground, knocking the bird Pokemon several feet away. The Fearow seemed, for now, temporarily stunned on the ground.

“Pizza! Stand by! I am going to inspect the Fearow and I need backup!” Thomas yelled, as he ran up to the downed Fearow.

Prince could only stare in shock, before he hopped down, bouncing slightly as he fell, to observe the scene.

...only to be tackled by an excitable fire dog, now perched over him with her paws and start talking nonstop, tail wagging.

“ _HeyareyouokayyouwerereallycooldidyouseehowIdiditwascoolhuhsowasPizzarightwowwe'vebeenneedingagoodfight-_ ”

Prince proceeded to struggle and attempt to push Foster off, finally shouting “ _STOP PINNING ME, HELLHOUND!_ ”

Foster paused her rambling to step off the Igglybuff under her. Prince got up and dusted himself off, scowling. Foster tilted her head, frowning.

“ _Why are you so mean? I just saved you!_ ”

“ _Well,_ _ **I**_ _didn't ask for that! I could have taken care of myself, just like when you_ _ **stole my weapon**_ _!_ ”

Foster's fur puffed up on the back, as she started speaking with a growl. “ _Well_ _ **excuse me**_ _for wanting to help out a part of the pack! I guess I was wrong for thinking that we could get along!_ ”

“ _Oh like you have any good inten- wait, what was that about being a part of the pack?_ ”

Foster tilted her head in the other direction. She still seemed aggravated, but less ready to fight. More confused. “ _You joined the pack several days ago. I've been trying to make it easier on both of us but you never seemed to want to actually spend much time with me-_ ”

Prince waved one paw in the air “ _Waitwaitwait. Hold on. What pack? When did I join a pack?_ ”

Foster squinted at Prince. “ _You've been eating food with us, following us, singing with Thomas every night... how are you not part of the pack?_ ”

Prince shook his head/body. As he spoke he started pacing, and occasionally looking at Foster when he wanted to emphasize. “ _In case you haven't noticed, Thomas knows something about my family,_ _ **which I already belong to by the way**_ _. I have been following to see if you guys have any useful information regarding them,_ _ **which you clearly haven't**_ _. I have been eating your food because... well... its good..._ _ **so there.**_ ” He ended his oration by putting his paws on his “hips”.

“ _And the singing?_ ”

“ _The singing? Well... I like that to!_ ” He said with a huff, crossing his arms.

Foster rolled her eyes “ _Look, whatever you are here for, Thomas likes you a lot. I can sort of tell._ ”

“ _Oh_ _ **please**_ _. If you are referring to the food he gave me, letting me sleep by the fire, he has shown himself to be something of a giving person._ ” Prince said, gesturing behind him

“ _That wasn't what I was talking-LOOK OUT!!!_ ”

Before Prince could register that warning, he was, for the third time, surprised that day. This time by a Fearow picking him up by the talons and flying off.

Prince took three seconds to register what just happened before he started struggling hard. Somewhere in the middle of this struggle, he went to hit the Fearow with his improvised weapon. As he raised his arm, he realized that in the surprise of the attack caused him to drop his means of protection.

_OH NO WHAT DO I DO I AM WITHOUT A WEAPON MY ARMS CANNOT REACH THE BEAST HOLDING ME WHAT DO I DO- wait, I know._

Prince grinned, closed his eyes, and started singing.

As he sang, he felt the Fearow struggling to stay aloft, before he, finally, felt the talons loosen.

_HAHA! I AM A GENIUS!... wait, I'm going to fall now..._

And he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had fun with this one! The inspiration for this came soon after I published "The Monster Next Door", and I could not stop writing. If it stays, maybe the next chapter will be out sooner rather then later (god willing).


	6. Symphony Accelerando

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas has a problem to solve. Well, a few problems actually.

Thomas watched the Igglybuff approach terminal velocity. He felt his feet move faster as he attempted to move to position.

His adrenaline was helping him ignore the scratches that the Fearow left on him when he woke up. He somehow managed to move through branches and over roots with ease. He was vaguely aware that he was shouting at Foster to Pizza to follow.

Thomas was not aware of where he was, and that he was potentially going off trail. His mind was blank, outside of the thought, “ _CATCH HIM CATCH HIM CATCH HIM_.”

His heart was pounding, and he could feel it drop as the Igglybuff fell lower and lower, despite his best effort to close the distance.

He saw Prince, almost in slow motion, fall between two trees, and hit the ground.

_ **BOING** _

Prince flew back upwards into the sky, back down, and then bounced again, somehow higher into in the sky. Thomas's brain took a second to buffer before he could fully comprehend what was happening. The entry on Igglybuffs in the Pokemon encyclopedia seemed to play automatically in his mind.

_Igglybuff's have extremely elastic bodies. When they start bouncing they become impossible to stop._

Thomas had to keep himself from laughing when that thought suddenly entered his mind. However, this did lessen Thomas's worries a bit.

“Prince! Don't worry! I'll catch you!” Thomas shouted, as he ran forward to catch Prince during his next fall. However, Thomas just missed, causing Prince to hit a nearby rock below Thomas's arms. The small Pokemon then ricochet off, and slam multiple times into surrounding trees.

Before Thomas could try to predict the Pokemon's trajectory, Prince ended up hitting a tree at an angle that caused him to launch towards a body of water that Thomas had not noticed yet.

“Oh god! Pizza! Foster! Help!”

Before Prince could hit the water, Foster quickly jumped up and headbutted him hard back toward Thomas, who quickly opened his arms and caught the Igglybuff. He held on as tight as he could as he was knocked backwards onto his butt and slid along the forest floor until his back hit a tree trunk.

Thomas let out a pained noise through gritted teeth as he held his arms together in a vice-like grip to keep prince from bouncing out. He eventually felt the inertia in Prince's body fade away until the small Pokemon was still, allowing Thomas to breathe.

Thomas felt a wet nose prod him. He looked down to see Foster, who was soaking wet and miserable, and Pizza, who was also wet, but seemed less cranky about it.

“Oh Foster! You got knocked in! I'll get towel to dry you off immediately; the water probably not good for you. I'm going to assume that you got her out, Pizza? Both of you are getting treats later.”

Pizza only responded by yawning and curling up by Thomas's side, seemingly content to rest after the stressful experience that they all recently just shared. Foster, however, seemed less ready to relax, and walked forward and poked her wet nose into the small ball of Pokemon in Thomas's hands. Prince, up to that point, had been extremely still and quiet. He had also been caught at an odd angle, with his face toward Thomas's body. Upon being poked, Prince shivered slightly.

Thomas frowned and turned the Igglybuff to face him. Even after everything that had just occured, Prince did not seem any worse for wear. However, Prince seemed to refuse to look at him, only looking down.

“Hey...”

The young Pokemon shivered slighted.

“Are you okay?”

Another shiver.

Thomas's frown deepened. “Hey, no one's gonna hurt you, okay? You're safe!”

Prince shivered a bit more. He glanced down at Foster (who had sat down next to Thomas and was staring up at Prince), up at Thomas's face quickly, then at Thomas's hands, then back down.

Both were extremely still for a moment, until Thomas took his hands off of prince slowly. Prince still did not move, but looked up at Thomas. Thomas smiled a tiny bit before grimacing at the pain that shot through his back.

Thomas put his head against the tree his back was against and closed his eyes.

_How often has Prince been at the mercy of creatures bigger then him? I know he used to have his family, but they're not around. He only has himself. And now we're here in his space. How do I let him know that he's safe?_

Thomas felt something small press his chest.

He looked back down to see that Prince had positioned his paws against Thomas's chest. Prince was looking at said chest with a concentrated expression. He started moving around pressing on various parts of Thomas's chest, stomach, and sides lightly, with Thomas occasionally hissing in pain.

Eventually, Prince gave a curt nod before looking around and hopping off of Thomas's lap. Thomas watched as Prince ran to a nearby tree and dug around the base, before producing a pile of Oran and Sitrus berries from underneath the tree.

Jigglypuff gathered a bunch of the berries in his arms, before walking back and laying down the bunch by Thomas. Prince rolled one of the berries toward foster (who happily took it, tail wagging), and threw one over Thomas toward pizza (who lazily started taking bites), before grabbing a few more and hopping back onto Thomas's lap and holding two Sitrus berries out to him.

When Thomas just maintained a blank expression and blinked a few times, Prince pouted and puffed up before punching Thomas (lightly) in the chest, and then thrusting the berries toward Thomas's face once more.

Thomas blinked a few times more, before chuckling and taking the berries from the small Pokemon. He popped one into his mouth and patted Princes head. Prince gave a curt nod before sitting down and snacking on his own berries.

Thomas smiled wider and ate the other berry. He wasn't sure if it somehow the effects of the berries, or the company of the Pokemon around him, but he was starting to feel better already.

However, there was something of a downside to this, as he was now more aware of what was going on around him. Specifically, that he was not only  _really damn_ cold, even in his jacket, but that there was a lingering scent of rot in the air, like a mix of compost and sewage. This scent traveled on the chilling breeze, blowing from the direction of the lake he was facing.

Thomas frowned and moved to get up, subconsciously picking up Prince in the process. He made is was to the edge of the lake and looked around.

He became vaguely aware of Prince shivering again.

He looked down to see the wide eyes of Princes staring up at him in... fear?  
  


“Do you remember what I said earlier? You're safe! I promise we'll protect you”

Foster and Pizza appeared along side, looking up at Prince. Foster began barking a bit and Pizza yawning.

Prince's eyes darted between Thomas and the other Pokemon before he shook his head. Before Thomas could respond to that gesture, Prince turned his body in Thomas's arms and hopped out onto the ground. He looked up at Thomas, before pointed towards a spot across the lake.

“...is that where the smell is coming from? Do you know?”

Prince nodded and started walking along the lakes edge. After walking a few feet, he stopped to look back.

Thomas nodded and signaled for Foster and Pizza to follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, a cliff hanger. I have become liberal with those lately. Honestly, nailing down the ending of this chapter was a bit tricky, but I really am proud of how the story is going!


	7. Life Acciaccato

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was told to leave.

Walking towards the source of the hideous odor was like replaying the incident in reverse.

He remembers becoming separated from his brother. They were both running, and before he knew it, his twin was no where to be seen.

_**They were running because Mother told them to run. That they were in danger.** _

_**They were in danger because of a Pokemon he had never seen before.** _

He didn't really remember much, in large part because he did not see everything. He had ran away before he even knew what was happening. 

He had never came back. 

_**He was told to leave. He was not told t** _ _**o** _ _**ever come** _ _**back to this spot** _ _**at any point.** _

_**She promised her sons** _ _**they would** _ _**see her again** _ _**.** _

As they walked closer, it got colder. The smell got worse.

Prince's eyes stared straight forward, not checking to see if Thomas was following. It took all of Prince's focus to keep walking. He was vaguely aware, as they got closer, of Pizza drifting closer to him.

“ _Why didn't you... lead us to this place earlier_?” Pizza asked, keeping her eyes forward.

“ _... I thought you knew about it already. I thought that you were here because of it. _ ”

Pizza's eyes blinked slowly.

“ _ What is 'it'? _ ”

As if on cue, the group reached another clearing.

Prince continued to stare forward. He saw Thomas rush out in front of him from behind, pulling out a small object and fussing with it, eventually putting it to his ear.

“Professor! I need to... I call you by your title because its **professional**...We can talk about this later... Look, be that as it may, thats not why I called! Prince led me to a.... I don't even know what to call it. Crime scene?.... Well, the trees are destroyed. They looked almost… melted, or rotted. It smells awful...but thats not the strange thing. There's ice everywhere. I don't know how long it's been here... It could be that, I guess... I don't know what type of Pokemon could have caused this type of carnage... I'll send pictures, definitely...”

Prince looked around. Towards the lake, where his brother used to push him in, and at all the various trees that were now gone, including the one where he used to live. The tree that his mom had made a home for them. He found it hard to move. If he could to describe how he felt, it would be as if the carnage in front of him wasn't real, and that walking towards it would prove what he was seeing true

“ _ GUYS! I SMELL SOMETHING _ !!!”

Foster was by the biggest block of ice, incessantly sniffing around it. She started to scratch at the side, whimpering.

Prince made his way towards the ice. Pizza followed him closely, not that he paid much mind.

He walked around the large, icy mass. A thin coating of frost covered it, as if it had been here a while, slowly melting away.

Without really thinking about it, he raised an arm and began wiping away the frost, slowly revealing what lay frozen inside.

After a few strokes, he finally stared through the small window he had created.

He froze.

The world froze around him.

Time itself seemed to stop.

Then he ran.

He ran away as fast as his little feet could take him.

Back to the forest. Back to reality as he knew it.

“PRINCE! Stop! Where are you going!?”

Thomas watched as the small creature disappeared into the forest, Foster running after him.

Puzzled, he stopped taking pictures and looked back at the large block of ice, and the small window in the frost Prince had created. Pizza stared up at him, noticeably concerned.

He walked around to the side Prince had been on, and began making his own window, wiping away the frost with his free hand. Finally, he peered through, trying to make out what was inside.

Then suddenly, it clicked.

He dropped his phone as he realized what he was looking at.

Inside was a large, oval-shaped figure.

With rabbit-like ears.

And big brown eyes.


End file.
